Mother and daughter suffer horrific tennis ball-sized blisters all over their bodies after wild swimming at popular French beauty spot

A mother and daughter claim a dip in a lake in France left them both with tennis ball-sized blisters on their bodies.

Albana Tanushi visited Lake Bourget in Aix-les-Bains, considered one of the most beautiful natural lakes in the country, on June 9 with her six-year-old.

After deciding it was too cold to swim, they both dipped their arms and legs in the water to cool off instead, she said.

The next morning, however, mother and daughter woke up to find red and yellow blisters covering their arms and legs.

Doctors believe they may have suffered from phytophotodermatitis – a painful reaction that occurs when plant chemicals applied to the skin are exposed to sunlight.

Lake Bourget is located in Savoie, in eastern France, where thousands of tourists come every year to swim, sail and play golf.

Ms Tanushi told local media: ‘I thought, ‘Are those really my legs? Is that me?”. I told myself these couldn’t possibly be my feet, I was having a nightmare.

“You could see from moment to moment one of the blisters swelled up in front of my eyes.”

Her daughter, who has not been named, added: “It hurt, it stung, you could see it was completely red.”

After being rushed to hospital, both were prescribed a morphine-based cream to treat phytophotodermatitis, Ms Tanushi claimed, to help ease the pain.

While the blisters have disappeared, photos show that both she and her daughter’s legs were still dry and scarred days later.

Phyto means plant, photo means sunlight and dermatitis means inflammation of the skin.

The rash occurs anywhere the skin is exposed and itches, burns red, or even resembles a bruise. The skin can also cause blisters.

Gardeners can suffer from it; giant hogweed is a common cause, as is rhubarb.

Citrus fruits can also trigger the reaction. That’s why we often see it around the mouths of children who have eaten popsicles made with real limes or lemons.

Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion is known to soothe itching.

However, people are advised that if it does not subside within a few days, they should see their GP, who may prescribe a stronger steroid.

And wear long sleeves and pants when gardening.

The news comes as Britons turn to outdoor swimming in droves.

Proponents swear by the natural high and health benefits they get from taking the plunge.

Soaking in freezing temperatures improves mood, reduces stress and destroys body fat, they claim.

But wild swimming also poses some other obvious dangers.

Freezing temperatures can cause a potentially fatal condition of fluid in the lungs, especially when swimming long distances, researchers warned yesterday.

Pulmonary edema – where excess fluid builds up in the air sacs of the lungs – can cause breathing difficulties and requires urgent hospital treatment, with the added risk of drowning while swimming.

Experts say it is not clear what causes the condition, but it is likely to involve an increase in pressure and excessive narrowing of the blood vessels that supply the lungs.

And pollution in Britain’s seas, rivers and lakes has also sparked health fears among wild swimmers.

Hannah Murray, 38, an NHS professional from Southsea, Hampshire, first took up sea swimming in 2021 for her personal health benefits and to reduce her stress levels.

However, after continuing her new hobby in 2022, she started feeling unwell.

After a series of tests, Ms Murray was diagnosed with hepatitis A, a liver infection that can spread through faeces.

And she claims this is because she came into contact with sewage while swimming.